CHARLOTTE - It's not always the big showy plays that help Duke win big games. It's not always that dramatic DeMarcus Nelson drive or Greg Paulus 3-point swisher or hustling Kyle Singler steal.

Duke wins a lot of games by winning a lot of the little battles. So it went Friday night as the second-seeded Blue Devils whipped Georgia Tech 82-70 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

"The little things often are the big things," said Duke's David McClure, sounding a bit Yogi Berra-esque. "A lot of times, those little plays can deflate a team. It takes the air out of their tires.

"If you make a lot of little plays, it can add up to big numbers."

McClure had one of those plays. Early in the game, with Duke on defense, he went up in traffic to bat a ball downcourt, like a volleyball spike. It turned into a transition layup by the Blue Devils' Lance Thomas.

"Making plays like that, where if you can't come down with the rebounds you tip it out ... those plays are big," Paulus said. "They're momentum-swingers."

Thomas also had his share. On one possession, he missed a shot but battled hard to force a jump ball. Duke kept the ball.

Later, Thomas and Georgia Tech's Alade Aminu fought for the ball after a missed free throw. When the tussle ended, the ball went out of bounds off Aminu. Duke ball.

"Our mind-set is just to make plays," Thomas said. "Whether it's a big play that goes down in the stat book or a play that gets us another possession, we're all about making plays."

Paulus made a play, one that did not show up on the official stat sheet, after the Yellow Jackets had rallied in the second half to make things tense for the Devils.

With Duke leading 58-52, Paulus had the ball knocked out of his hands by Tech point guard Maurice Miller near the top of the key. For a second, it appeared Miller might come up with the steal.

But Paulus won the battle. He pulled in the ball and zipped a pass into the right corner to Jon Scheyer, who was fouled on a 3-point shot.

Scheyer stepped to the line and hit all three free throws. Duke's lead was back to nine.

"It was a 50-50 ball, and I wanted to come up with it," Paulus said. "It was my fault if [Miller] would have gotten it. Then I saw Jon in the corner.

"Those are important swings. To win a couple of those possessions, at the right time, is a big thing."

They are in postseason, when every possession can seem precious, especially in the second half of games when the team that's behind senses its season is about to end.

"I tried to tell our kids after the game that that is the way postseason is," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Nobody wants to go away. You have to put them away."

Duke did it Friday with key second-half plays by its stars that surely deflated the Jackets -- a Singler steal that set up a 3 by DeMarcus Nelson, a 3 by Paulus on a drive-and-kick by Nelson. But the little plays can't be overlooked.

"At this point, everybody is going to want it," McClure said. "You have to make sure it means more to us.

"Everybody wants it, but we've really been pushing ourselves and take pride in our heart and determination. It shows in those plays."